Joy Nails & Spa

I have been here consistently for several years and love this place! I’ve almost always been able to get an appointment, they do a fantastic job with mani-​pedis and provide complimentary drinks, including some lovely smoothies! Pretty good value for money :)
Each mani and pedi comes with a great massage and thorough exfoliation.
The staff aren’t chatty, which suits me just fine, particularly since there’s always some charming movie on the TV screens.
They are also very clean — all metal equipment is sterilized and comes in individual packs so that it remains sanitary.
I have never seen anything that has made me uncomfortable about the hygiene.
I have moved to another neighbourhood and haven’t found another place that comes even close, so I plan ahead and get to Joy every time I need my nails done!

Loved the place, went with my mom, got gel manicure and pedicure the service was awesome and the people were very nice!

After moving to downtown Toronto and not being able to find a good nail salon, I decided to trek up to Joy because I was considering making the trip back to Cozy Nails anyway if I couldn’t find anything, and this place is very, very slightly closer.
It’s ok. To be honest, it’s kind of like a budget version of Cozy. Everything’s a little messier, a little older, a little dirtier. Which isn’t to say that it’s a dirty spa, but it looks like it does a poor job of imitating Cozy.
I made an appointment but had to wait about 15 minutes anyway, which I didn’t like. But it was Friday evening, so I let it slide.
As usual, whenever I go to spas & nail places in Leaside/​Forest Hill/​those areas, I get stared at because I’m often the only Asian person on the other side of the table. It was the same here, but whatever, I’m kind of getting used to it (as long as I don’t receive subpar service, like at NailSense!).
I didn’t get a offered a drink, which made me sad, but no one around me did either — do they not offer drinks anymore?
I got the spa pedicure, which I was told included a foot mask and a 10 minute massage. The foot mask was ok, but didn’t really do anything. The one I get at Cozy is super minty and refreshing, so that was kind of disappointing.
My massage was nowhere near 10 minutes. It was maybe about 4 minutes long, and there was hardly any pressure exerted. But I’ve learned my lesson after making the same mistake twice — I will not purchase foot massage time at nail salons anymore, I will go to a reflexologist for that!
My esthetician was FROSTY. She pretty much ignored me until she had to ask me to put my feet in/​out of the water. But when I started making conversation with her about her, she was receptive and became much nicer. She paid a lot of attention to her work though, which I appreciated.
The end result was ok. The callous remover they applied to my feet stung in a couple places — I wasn’t aware that I had cracks in my feet! — and the foot file they used was pretty dull, but my feet came out sliiightly softer. The polish application was done well — but my nail polish chipped within a couple hours, which really sucked.
Also, the spa pedicure was $ 39, and the «special» pedicures at Cozy (Allpresan, Gehwol, or Raw Earth) are $ 35 (plus even Cozy’s basic pedi is better than here), so I think it’s back up to Lawrence Park I go!
Two stars though, for the cuticle work, decent quality (i.e. not watered down) nail polish, the huge washroom, the chocolates at the drying station, and the fact that you can actually hear the movie.
*Edited to add: The last few experiences I’ve had at Cozy Nails was absolutely terrible (see my review) — so I’m in search of another good nail salon again!

This place has spoiled me and now I can’t go anywhere else.
Here are the things I love about Joy Nails, in no particular order:
1) Your nails will get done the way you like. You don’t need to argue with your nail technician to do a good job. They will always do a good job, or fix it if it’s not to your liking.
2) They use new nail colour. I don’t think I’ve seen a single bottle of old, visibly separating colour on their shelf.
3) It’s very, very, very clean, and they use freshly sanitized tools which they unwrap in front of you.
4) The atmosphere is unbeatable – and this is what really sets them apart from other salons. Everyone is so nice and focused on taking care of you. The clients are there to relax. I automatically go into ‘decompressing’ mode as soon as I walk through the door.
5) You get a complimentary drink [tea, coffee, hot chocolate, water, or smoothie]. I really love this part.
6) They don’t have cheesy piano music that most nail salons have. You know what I’m referring to. They have 3 – 4 screens playing the chick flick du jour with volume, so you can actually watch the movie.
7) The foot massages are great. Enough said.
8) The nail technicians are friendly and professional. If you’re chatty, they’ll chat with you. If you’re not, they’ll quietly do their work and let you relax. They seem at ease and happy with what they do. And it’s great that they don’t chat with eachother while working on you. It’s annoying to come into a salon where the nail techs stop what they’re doing to chat with eachother, barely paying attention to their paying client.
This place is amazing, and other nail salons need to get it together and follow suit. I seriously can’t go anywhere else.

This place really is the best! EVERYONE is so nice, they bring you a drink (you can choose from a coffee drink or a smoothie), there is always some type of chick flick on, and they have bowls of candy. I like that every time I come whoever is doing my nails just lets me zone out and watch the movie without saying a word (I’m a very social person but this is ME time and all I wanna do is get my nails done watch a movie, drink smoothies, & eat caramels okay??) I can’t say enough good things about this place. The ONLY downer is it’s a tiny bit more expensive than other places but it’s worth it (and I’m a cheap wad)-GO there!

Overall excellent service. I got a fill and a pedicure. This was one of the best pedicures I have ever had.
I don’t think they do designs which sucks, but I world definitely recommend.

As a Christmas present, a few of my colleagues in my department bought me a gift card to Joy Nails & Spa so decided to get a mani today !
I’m a fan.
Service was great and Sunny did a great job with my nails.
The complimentary beverage was a nice touch ! I sipped on my latte as I waited for my nails to dry. Each table has an air vent so you don’t even have to move. Like many other nail salons, a chick flick was on the screen.
Thanks to my colleagues, I still have a few more mani’s at Joy. Can’t wait to go back!

Since writing my last review the spa contacted me. They took the time to write me a very thoughtful and heartfelt message, apologizing for the uncharacteristic treatment that I received and reassured me that the manicurist in question would be properly trained so that she can provide the same quality of service that is expected of all their employees. I was very pleased with the sincerity and effectiveness of their customer service, and will definitely be returning in the future.

I went for a pedicure there today and I was very happy with the service and the complimentary drink. The fact that they have a move playing too passes the time very well.
It is a very clean place and they use new tools for each client.
I will definately be going here again, for the area its pretty reasonably priced too.

Came here for a pedicure based on a recommendation. Pretty good. About $ 4 more than the going rate for other places nearby but you get a complimentary beverage. Unfortunately, nail files are communal and not new for each customer. I have a feeling it’s the same for the scrubbers and buffers. Not sure what other cleanliness procedures they slack on as I didnt see any bags freshly opened so I’m hoping everything is fine. they don’t have any neon colours but it is midtown after all. Movies playing in the background make it easy to wait, especially while drying. they seem to get pretty busy. I like other places more for cleanliness and I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this place.

I had my first visit to Joy Nails yesterday for a pedicure, and I will for sure go back again.
The massage chairs are so great.
Service is excellent
chick flicks give a big thumbs up
loved the option of lavendar or peppermint being worked into my massage (I went with lavender)
Overal a great experience.

Ok — after being to a TON of other places in Toronto (using those groupon deals etc) I have to say that Joy Nails is my favourite!

Joy is amazing! They are very sanitary — each client gets their own box to use and all tools are sterilized and opened up from sealed packages in front of you. They offer you drinks (smoothies, tea, coffee) and play fun movies to keep you enterained and relaxed. Their selection of polishes is as good as it gets, and they always get the new collections the day they come out! I always go to Soue for my pedicures (she gives the best massages ever) and Lam gives great manicues and massages, too! Maria also gives great manis and pedis! I would say most of their staff are great, actually… I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience!
Jane and Michael (the owners) are very courteous and helpful, and they know and address their clients by name! I love joy nails and will never stray — definitely give it a try!

I used to go here all the time for manicures, pedicures and waxing. The prices are quite reasonable (especially for this neighbourhood), they do a great job, and the atmosphere is lovely — if you enjoy a chick-​flick with your manicure, which I do.
I’ve been trying other places in my new neighbourhood, but I may just start going back to Joy.

Joy Nails does a lot of things right: massage chairs, complimentary tea/​smoothie/​latte, and chick flicks on the multiple screens. The day I went, they were showing «Bride Wars.» I’d already seen it but who doesn’t love a little bitch-​fest wedding drama while sipping on a strawberry smoothie? You? OK, then this is not the place for you.
I went with three girlfriends for pedicures and I got stuck with the only non-​Asian pedicurist. My friends’ toes looked amazing while my toenails were unevenly shaped and the polish didn’t reach all the way to the cuticles. I know I didn’t travel all this way just to get a lazy, half-​assed nailjob.
Overall, this is a fun place for a group of gal pals to hang out and gab. Those looking for a Zen, meditative spa experience should go elsewhere on the weekend; the chatter of future bride-​zillas and their minions is ear-​splitting. And make sure you don’t get the white pedicurist.
$ 30 for a pedicure.